Recap: Jaime arrives at Arthur Hatch, Research Inc. in her little car and checks in with the security guard while Oscar and Dr. Hatch watch her movements from inside the complex on the security monitor. Dr. Hatch remarks that Jaime seems much too young and pretty for this assignment, but Oscar convinces him that that's what will give her the best cover for the task at hand. Dr. Hatch shows Jaime a clunky looking device with a number pad on it that apparently took him three years to build and cost the taxpayers $40 million. Yeesh. For that kind of money they could have built half a dozen more Six Million Dollar men. When Jaime jokes that the boxy contraption looks like a garage door opener - bwahaha! - Oscar solemnly informs her that it is a Cryptograph Analyzer (sounds intense) and Dr. Hatch explains that when it's plugged into a computer, it can crack any code in the world. Except ones with any letters. He says it will be invaluable to NATO's defense, but then Oscar furrows his brows worriedly and adds, "To other people too" and says there have already been attempts to steal the decoder. He tells Jaime that her mission in this episode will be to hand deliver the contraption under cover of night to General Frank Partridge in the Mohave Secret Center. Dr. Hatch asks Jaime to sign a receipt in triplicate and provide an imprint of her thumb to prove that she's definitely, officially, absolutely been given possession of the Cryptograph Analyzer. Oscar puts it into a satchel, hands it to Jaime, and tells her it's now in her care. Dr. Hatch tells her that a pilot will meet her at the base and fly her to the Mohave Secret Center...and she's like, "OK dokey" and breezily assures him that she'll take good care of his brainchild. As Jaime departs the research facility, a shady looking guy who's parked across the street gets on his car phone and reports that the courier - a pretty blonde woman - has just left. He snarls, "Too bad it's the last delivery she'll ever make." Eeeeeeek! That evening, Jaime arrives at the base and notices that there's one other car in the parking lot. She activates her bionic hearing and listens in on a lovey-dovey laced conversation between the helicopter pilot, Ted Ryan, and his girlfriend. As the two canoodle, the girlfriend gabbles excitedly about their upcoming trip to Mexico...and when the two get smoochy, Jaime sheepishly switches off her bionic ear. When she exits her car, Ted Ryan does the same and ambles over to her. He asks her to verify who sent her, and seems satisfied when she chirps, "Oscar Goldman." As Ted's girlfriend drives off, Jaime happens the catch the license plate - MILLE 3 - on the off chance that that information will come in handy later. She and Ted climb into the helicopter, then have a brief and uneventful flight to the Mohave Secret Center, where two men are awaiting their arrival in a military jeep. After Jaime presents her ID, one of the men introduces himself as General Frank Partridge and asks her for the package. Jaime hands over the satchel and Frank says he's very happy to receive it...and Jaime giggles and says he's probably as happy to receive it as Oscar is relieved to get rid of it. She asks Frank to sign the receipt with his signature and thumb print, and when that's all done he [kind of snidely, I thought] tells her to say hello to his good friend Oscar. He then says he'll probably be asking her back to help with the test phase of the decoder, and Jaime rolls her eyes at that boring prospect and sarcastically retorts, "That would be a thrill!" Haha! Frank hands her a briefcase that contains "dispatches for the base" and asks her to give it to the pilot...then thanks her for her service and wishes her a safe flight home. Ted transports Jaime back to the base, and as soon as she gets off the helicopter she rushes over to the nearest phone booth to call Oscar. She chirps, "Mission complete!" and Oscar says he's very pleased, then urges her to go home and get some rest...and that he'll send a car to her place in the morning to retrieve the all-important signed receipt. Jaime hangs up and for some reason finds herself locked inside the phone booth, so she bionically breaks the door open and then glances around furtively to see if anyone saw. Weird. When Oscar phones Jaime the next morning, she rolls over in her bed and sleepily murmurs, "Go away", then answers the phone as if she's an answering machine. An irritated Oscar barks, "Cut that out!" and tells her that something has gone terribly wrong: General Frank Partridge is reporting that she never showed up in Mohave to deliver the decoder. Jaime's all "Wha-a?!" and tells Oscar she made the delivery as instructed and even had the general sign for it, thumbprint and all. Oscar tells her that everyone is totally freaked out about the missing decoder, and no one seems to know what happened to the clunky thing. Jaime peers out of her window and tells Oscar that a car just pulled onto the ranch, and he's like, "Uh oh. Must be the National Security Bureau." He orders her to go with the agents, and he'll meet her at their office. Jaime looks alarmed and asks if she's in trouble, and Oscar tells her it's nothing they can't resolve by the end of the episode, then reassuringly adds, "Don't worry, babe." Jaime lets the babe remark go by without comment - despite me hitting rewind to make sure I didn't just hallucinate that - and tells him she's definitely worried, then hangs up so she can bionically dress herself before the agents start knocking down her door. Oscar introduces Jaime to Chief Investigator Gregory, who asks to see the signed receipt. Jaime pulls it out of her purse and hands it to him...and then he hands it to one of his flunkies and orders him to verify it. He asks Jaime to recount everything that happened last night, which she does...and when he still seems skeptical about her version of events, she exasperatedly tells him to talk to the pilot if he doesn't believe her. Oscar grimly informs her that they've been unable to locate the pilot and currently have an APB out on him. Gregory tells Jaime that her account of the decoder drop-off doesn't match the facts, then sternly asks her if she has any theories about how the decoder was stolen...but then doesn't give her a chance to answer 'cause he buzzes in Dr. Hatch. Dr. Hatch says he heard from a colleague in Paris that espionage broker Alex Martine is now in possession of the decoder - egads! - and that he's already made a deal to sell it to their enemies. Gregory bitchily asks Jaime what she has to say 'bout that, and Oscar snaps, "Hold on a minute!" and says that whatever may have happened to the decoder after Jaime delivered it can't possibly be her fault. Gregory concedes that it's possible Jaime is innocent, then asks her to describe General Partridge. She offers a general description - middle aged white man in a military outfit - then looks to Oscar to help her out. Oscar's like, "I dunno" and says he's never met the man...and Jaime's all, "Wha-a?! He told me you two were good friends!" Gregory motions to a man who's been quietly sitting in the back of the room the whole time and dramatically announces that he's General Frank Partridge. Whoa. Jaime gets all discombobulated and says if that's true, then she has no idea who the fake general was who she gave the decoder to. General Partridge, who must have just quietly gotten word from whoever verified the receipt, says that the thumbprint on the receipt matches that of Alex Martine. Gregory glares at Jaime incredulously and snarls, "How much did he pay you, Miss Sommers?!" and Oscar gets angry and says he has no right to accuse babe like that. Gregory declares that Jaime will be detained pending an investigation...or until they locate the pilot and see how well his story matches up to hers. Unfortunately, however.. A patrolman finds Ted's helicopter, crashed, in a remote wooded area. He calls dispatch to report the crash, and that inside the helicopter is the body of Ted Ryan, the pilot who's wanted on APB. Jaime is detained in a jail cell, distressed and wailing, "Wha-at's happening to meeeee?!" Oscar comforts her by cooing, "Easy babe" (!) and says that since the pilot flew her to a fake air base so she could unwittingly hand over the decoder to an imposter, it's obvious she's being framed. Jaime asks him who else knew about this mission, and Oscar mulls that over and says her, himself, Dr. Hatch, and General Partridge...but that somewhere along the line there must have been a leak. Oscar gets a call from the Secretary (of State..?) on the jail phone and is sternly told that Jaime is to remain in jail and that he will not be permitted to be part of the investigation 'cause of how much he personally likes Jaime, as is evidenced by the two times so far in this episode he's referred to her as babe while tenderly trying to ease her worries. Jaime lets this bad news sink in, then needlessly demonstrates to Oscar her ability to bionically bend the steel bars of her cell. He cautions her not to do that, and argues that it would only make her look more guilty. He then says he's gotta run, warns her to not do anything foolish, and promises to return during visiting hours sometime soon. Oscar runs into Dr. Hatch on his way out of the jailhouse. Dr. Hatch rails about how the theft of his decoder came as a terrible shock, and that he's kinda pissed off at Oscar for entrusting Jaime with three years of his hard work. A few seconds later, Dr. Hatch's assistant John Naud pulls up, and - ack! - he's the fake general Jaime gave the decoder to. Intriguing! He offers his boss a ride back to the lab. Gregory drops by Jaime's jail cell to inform her that they found Ted Ryan's body, and that he was in possession of a briefcase full of money - 100K - with her fingerprints all over it. Jaime explains that the fake general handed it to her and said that it contained dispatches for the base, but Gregory doesn't believe her and accuses her of being in on the scam. Jaime's like, "Dude, obviously the fake general tricked me" but Gregory's like, "Blah blah blah...you're definitely guilty" and advises her to 'fess up so she can at least save Oscar from losing his job. Jaime says she should probably lawyer up, and Gregory tells her she'll get one from the OSI once she's officially in trouble. He then lifts the briefcase and snaps, "And I call this trouble" and stalks out. Um...OK. So then go get her a lawyer, dickwad. Jaime lays down on her little prison cot and complains to the guard that she's very hungry, and demands that he get her a sandwich and cup of coffee from the vending machine upstairs. The guard easily gives in, says, "Don't go away" (heh), and heads off to get Jaime a snack. Jaime taps various places of the brick wall of her cell, finds as good a place as any to launch her escape, and bionically kicks at the bricks until she creates a hole large enough to crawl through. She makes her way outside and speeds off in a slo-mo bionic jog in her brown wrap dress and heels. When the guard returns with her food, he sees the hole and is all, "Wha-a?!" and sounds the alarm...and then he and another police officer rush outside to begin their pursuit. Jaime slips into an alley behind a condemned building, sees a window open on the top floor and bionically leaps upward...dun dun dun dun dun...and crawls inside. She takes the stairs down to the lobby and casually exits the building from the front door on the opposite side of the building. Jaime flees to the nearest phone booth and breaks into the change box in order to steal a dime so she can call Oscar. When he picks up, she's like, "Don't be upset with me, but..." then tells him about her bionic jailbreak. He's all, "Noooo! You just made things worse!" but says he'll do all he can for her when he meets with the Board of Inquiry in D.C. Jaime announces that she's initiating her own impromptu investigation of the matter and needs his help with clue #1: she remembers that a young woman was in the car with Ted Ryan shortly before he flew her to the faux Mohave Secret Center, and gives him the license plate number MILLE 3. When she suddenly spots the two police officers coming her way, she abruptly hangs up, flees the phone booth, and hides behind a tree...and the two cops are mystified by how quickly she was able to disappear from view. Jaime bionically jogs to another phone booth and calls Oscar to see if he was able to trace the owner of the MILLE 3 car, and he tells her that it's registered to Millie Wilson and gives her the street address...which Jaime is miraculously able to find a few minutes later. She sees Millie's car parked in the driveway, then hides behind a fence when a car pulls up. It's the fake general, John Naud! Jaime activates her bionic hearing and hears Naud call out for Millie...and she then leaps up to the second floor balcony and tiptoes over to the window so she can eavesdrop. Millie is in tears about Ted turning up dead, and Naud explains that the plan had been for Ted to crash the chopper and leave the briefcase for the cops to find. Sadly, though, something went very wrong, and the dumb sod wasn't able to crash the chopper without actually dying in the process. Naud insists he had nothing to do with Ted's demise, and Millie cries, "You better not have!" and tearfully tells him that she and Ted were planning to go to Mexico after the scam had been successfully executed. Naud tells her she can still go since there aren't any loose ends, then offers to go with her. Mmm hmm.. He says he's very sorry about Ted, then cackles about how the authorities bought the frame on the girl. Jaime winces as she watches the two go downstairs, exit the house, and climb into his car. She leaps back down to ground level and bionically chases the car, which pulls into Dr. Hatch's research facility. Jaime leaps over the fence and enters the building...and the two jailhouse police officers appear on the scene at that moment, spot her entering the building, and radio Gregory to inform him that they've located their fugitive. Jaime barges into Dr. Hatch's office to inform him that she's cracked The Case of the Missing Decoder and needs his help. She informs him that his assistant, John Naud, posed as General Partridge and somehow imprinted Alex Martine's thumbprint on the receipt [sorry, I kind of spaced out while they were explaining that backstory]...and Dr. Hatch dismisses that as ridiculous and says it can't possibly be. Jaime insists it be and urges him to call Oscar asap, so Dr. Hatch gets on the phone - but instead of calling Oscar, he dials Naud's number to covertly let his partner in crime know that Jaime is onto him. From a nearby office, Naud pulls out a gun from his drawer and heads over to Dr. Hatch's office with Millie in tow. Oscar rushes back to California after ditching the Board of Inquiry meetings in D.C. to help Jaime with her sleuthing. He barks at his assistant to get Gregory on the phone, stat! Naud enters Dr. Hatch's office with his gun drawn...and a bewildered Jaime's all, "Wha-a?!" as she quickly figures out that Dr. Hatch has been in cahoots with his assistant the entire time. She asks him why he'd want to steal his own decoder, and Hatch dismissively calls it a piece of crap that was never going to work, so he figured he'd embezzle the $40 million he received in funding and abscond to Mexico. He orders Naud to lock Jaime inside the giant vault - which, for some reason, is adjacent to his office - and set the timer for it to self-destruct in five minutes. Nooooooo!! As Naud tries to steer Jaime into the vault, she bionically shoves him away from her, grabs Dr. Hatch, and pulls him into the vault with her, and locks the door. Naud's all, "Ack!" and tries to undo the self-destruct timer and open the vault door...but when it refuses to budge, he mulls over the situation for a few seconds and tells Millie that with Hatch out of the way, they can abscond with the entire $40 million. She's like, "Can do", so the two head toward the exit...but are stopped when the police, Oscar, and Gregory suddenly arrive on the scene. Jaime assures Dr. Hatch that she can get them out of the vault, and demonstrates her bionic ability to shift the steel lever. But before she does that, he's going to have to provide her with documented proof that the decoder was a hunk o' junk. After some quick hemming and hawing (the clock is ticking!), Dr. Hatch walks over to one of the filing cabinets and pulls out a pile of folders and hands them over. Jaime takes it on faith that he's giving her something relevant, and starts bionically turning the lever of the vault door...and remarks that she's finding it harder to open than she thought she would. With scarily little time left, Oscar yells at her to hurry...and - phew! - she's finally able to push the stubborn thing open. She and Dr. Hatch run out and flee the room, and seconds later the giant vault is blown to smithereens. Gregory barks at Jaime that she's under arrest, and she snaps, "Tell me about it after you've read this!" and thrusts Dr. Hatch's file folders at him. Oscar's like, "Haha! In yer face!", then jokingly tells Jaime she nearly went out with a bang just now...and the two giggle at the clunkiness of his rarely demonstrated sense of humor. Oscar accompanies Jaime back to her place and gets a phone call there from the Secretary. The Secretary tells Oscar they all owe Jaime an apology, and Oscar concurs and hands the phone over to Jaime so she can hear the apology first-hand. She bitches to the Secretary about how no one (aside from Oscar, naturally) gave her the benefit of the doubt...but then concedes that everyone is entitled to one mistake and is glad the episode is wrapping up with no real harm done. Except to Ted. And the U.S. taxpayers, who were fleeced for $40 million to finance a bum decoder. After the call, Jaime tells Oscar that the Secretary is sending her a letter of commendation, then thanks him for sticking by her through the ordeal. Oscar grins and says, "Think nothing of it, babe" (that's three babes, for anyone who's keeping a tally) and she says the one thing he did do wrong was give her terrible advice...meaning he didn't advise her to ask the Secretary for a raise. Oscar lets out a chortle. Thanks for reading! If you are enjoying TVofYore's recaps, consider thanking me by buying me a "coffee"!
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